Francis Asbury Dickins Papers, 1729-1934

Collection Number: 00218

Collection Title: Francis Asbury Dickins Papers, 1729-1934

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Size	2,300 items (6.5 linear feet)
Abstract	Francis Asbury Dickins (1804-1901), planter of Ossian Hall in Fairfax County, Va., agent for the U.S. War and Treasury departments and lawyer of Washington, D.C., specializing in government claims, son of Asbury Dickins (1780-1861), also held various government positions. Francis Asbury Dickins married Margaret Harvie Randolph (d. 1891), daughter of Harriot Wilson and Thomas Mann Randolph (1792-1848) of Tuckahoe Plantation in Goochland County, Va. Francis and Margaret had five children who lived to maturity: Francis Asbury, Jr. (called Frank) (1841-1890), Frances Margaret (called Fanny) (1842-1914), Harriot Wilson (1844-1917), Thomas Mann Randolph (called Randolph) (1853-1914), and Albert White (1855-1913). The collection includes chiefly correspondence of the Dickins and Randolph families before, during, and after the marriage of Francis Asbury Dickins and Margaret Harvie Randolph in 1839. Most letters discuss social and family matters, including daily activities and trips made chiefly within the United States. Early letters document Francis Dickins's government service; later letters document plantation life at Ossian Hall. Civil War letters reflect Francis Dickins's several arrests for display of Confederate sympathies and the war work of Fanny and Frank. Many post-Civil War items relate to the children of Francis and Margaret Dickins. Frank and Albert worked on railroads in the West; Randolph became a U.S. Marine; Harriot married Henry Theodore Wight; and Fanny lived with her mother and traveled among family members. Items relating to Margaret and Fanny document the women's financial concerns, travel abroad, and genealogical interests. There are also diaries, account books, commonplace books, scrapbooks, school notebooks, and other collected materials, 1804-1903, relating to various family members, and photographs, chiefly of Randolph family relatives. Also included are materials relating to Francis Asbury Dickins's law practice, especially his work as an agent for claims against the Mexican government in the 1830s through the 1850s, and against the U.S. government, particularly pension claims lodged by veterans of various wars.
Creator	Dickins, Francis Asbury, 1804-1879.
Curatorial Unit	Southern Historical Collection
Language	English.

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Restrictions to Access: No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice: Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], in the Francis Asbury Dickins Papers #218, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alternate Form of Material: All or part of this collection is included in the microfilm produced by University Publications of America as part of Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century, Series A.

Provenance: Gift of Mrs. John Keim of Fredericksburg, Va., in 1939. Given as a memorial to her mother, Harriot Wilson Dickins, daughter of Francis Asbury Dickins. One item received from Mrs. Murray J. Belman of Washington, D.C., in March 2002 (Acc.99193).

Sensitive Materials Statement: Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

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Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Roslyn Holdzkom, 2002

Updated by: Laura Hart, 2017; Nancy Kaiser, November 2020

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Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Asbury Dickins (1780-1861) was the son of John Dickins (1747-1798), an early leader of the Methodist Church, and Elizabeth Yancey (fl. 1780) of North Carolina. Except for a brief sojourn in England early in the 19th century, Asbury Dickins spent his adult life in Maryland and the District of Columbia working in various government departments. From 1829 to 1833, he served as chief clerk of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. For the next three years, he worked as chief clerk of the State Department. In both of these jobs, he occasionally served as acting secretary. In 1836, Asbury Dickins was chosen secretary of the U.S. Senate, a position he retained until his death in 1861.

Asbury Dickins married Lilias Arnot of Scotland, and they had four sons--Hugo, James, Francis Asbury, and Thomas--and one daughter, Lilia, who married Charles Stewart McCauley, a naval officer. Francis Asbury Dickins (1804-1901) followed his father into government service and was also a lawyer. In the late 1820s and the 1830s, he worked as an agent for the War and Treasury departments. By 1839, Francis Asbury had opened a law office in partnership with his brother James, specializing in "claims before Congress, and other branches of the Government." In 1841, he formed a law partnership with Cornelius P. Van Ness, former governor of Vermont, maintaining his specialty in government claims.

Francis Asbury Dickins married Margaret Harvie Randolph (d. 1891) in 1839. Although Dickins maintained his law office in Washington, the newlyweds' official residence was Ossian Hall Plantation in Fairfax County, Va. Margaret Harvie Randolph Dickins was the daughter of Harriot Wilson and Thomas Mann Randolph (1792-1848) of Tuckahoe, Goochland County, Va. Margaret's uncle, her father's half-brother who was also named Thomas Mann Randolph (1769-1828), lived at Edgehill in Albemarle County, Va., married Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha, and was governor of Virginia. He was more widely known than Margaret's father, but there are no papers of Governor Randolph in this collection.

Francis Asbury and Margaret Harvie Randolph Dickins had nine children. Five lived to maturity: Francis Asbury, Jr. (called Frank) (1841-1890); Frances Margaret (called Fanny) (1842-1914); Harriot Wilson (1844-1917); Thomas Mann Randolph (called Randolph) (1853-1914); and Albert White (1855-1913).

During the Civil War, Ossian Hall was within U.S. army lines, but the Dickins family were southern sympathizers. Francis Asbury was imprisoned three times on suspicion of aiding the South and ultimately left home to spend the final days of the war behind Confederate lines. Frank served in the Confederate army, and both daughters moved to Richmond during the war. Fanny was employed by the Confederate Treasury Department in 1862 at Richmond, and, in 1863, she moved to Columbia, S.C., to work with a branch of the Confederate Treasury there.

After the Civil War, Francis Asbury Dickins returned to Ossian Hall and reopened his Washington law office. His sons Frank and Albert worked on railroads in the west. Randolph attended Virginia Military Institute and became a colonel in the Marine Corps. Harriot Wilson married Dr. Henry Theodore Wight and had two daughters. Fanny continued to live with her mother after the death of Frances Asbury in 1879. The two women left Ossian Hall and divided their time among family in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Significant Randolph family correspondents in this collection include:

Gabriella Harvie Randolph Brockenbrough, second wife of Thomas Mann Randolph, grandmother of Margaret Randolph Dickins. Gabriella Randolph married Dr. John Brockenbrough of Richmond after the death of her first husband, and he served as guardian for her son. Her Randolph granddaughters frequently visited the Brockenbroughs in Richmond.

Margaret Harvie Randolph's siblings:

A. Children of Thomas Mann Randolph and his first wife, Harriot Wilson:
1. Mary Gabriella, who married Dr. John Biddle Chapman and had two daughters;
2. John Brockenbrough Randolph (1817-1854), who was first married to Elizabeth C. Smith and then to Margaret Rose Timberlake. Margaret Timberlake was the daughter of Peggy O'Neal and her first husband, John Bowie Timberlake. Family correspondence discusses the scandals associated with Peggy O'Neal in her later life;
3. Harriot Wilson Randolph, who married Albert Smith White, U.S. representative and senator from Indiana.
B. Children of Thomas Mann Randolph and his second wife, Lucinda Ann Patterson:
1. Henry Patterson Randolph;
2. Allan Randolph;
3. Clara Haxall Randolph, who married William Key Howard;
4. Mary Louisa Randolph, who married George Washington Mayo;
5. Arthur Randolph;
6. Jane DeHart Randolph, who married Robert Carter Harrison.

Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Family papers consist chiefly of correspondence between members of the Dickins and Randolph families, but also include a variety of other materials, such as clippings, genealogical information, and volumes. Legal office papers consist of materials relating to claims against the U.S. government generated in the legal practice of Francis Asbury Dickins.

Contents list

Expand/collapse Series 1. Family Papers.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. Correspondence and Related Items, 1729-1934.

About 550 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.1. 1729-1839.

About 120 items.

Papers of the Dickins and Randolph families before the marriage of Francis Asbury Dickins and Margaret Harvie Randolph. Letters to Margaret from Randolph relatives include information about family members, social activities in Richmond and Washington, and news about Tuckahoe Plantation in Goochland County, Va. Dickins family papers during this period chiefly document the government career of Asbury Dickins, including his brief sojourn in England during the first decade of the 19th century. Francis Asbury Dickins appears in 1830 as an agent for the U.S. Treasury Department. Letters document his early government service and his marriage to Margaret Harvie Randolph in April 1839. The earliest Dickins family papers relate to John Dickins (1747-1798), father of Asbury Dickins and grandfather of Francis Asbury Dickins. (See also Volume 34 for letters received by Asbury Dickins and Francis Asbury Dickins, 1818-1842.)

Folder 1	1729-1824 1729, copy of the will of William Randolph. 1786, deed, Richard Burt to John Dickins, Halifax County, N.C., and Francis Asbury's appointment of John Dickins an elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America (Acc. 99193). 1799, Asbury Dickins wrote for Elizabeth Dickins, from Philadelphia, asking Henry Bradford to sell the land near Halifax and settle the affairs of John Dickins. 1804-1813, papers accumulated by Asbury Dickins while residing in England. 1804, letters about the Society for the Suppression of Vice. 1811, Thomas Fox, Falmouth, about the difficulty of shipping between England and the U.S. 1813, letter of introduction to a business firm in Havre. 1817, clipping of advertisement, Asbury Dickins wishing to sell an estate on the turnpike from Washington to Baltimore. 1822, Swett Harris, about the U.S. mission to Russia, Russia's efforts to mediate between the U.S. and England, and John Quincy Adams. 1823, Ben F. Bourne, letter of introduction to the Dickins family for Colonel Decatur. 1824, unsigned letter by a friend of William H. Crawford, on the presidential campaign. 1820s, letters to Margaret Randolph from relatives and friends in Richmond and vicinity and from relatives in Norfolk, sending family and social news. Letters from Margaret's father to her and a few from her to her father written while she was visiting his mother in Richmond, and while visiting other relatives.
Folder 2	1825-1830 1825, Aunt Eloisa Dickins from Baltimore, family news. A. W. Hamilton, customs collector at Pensacola, about a disagreement between him and Mr. Scott, son of Alexander Scott. 1826, Ferdinand R. Hassler about the U.S. Coast Survey. Edward Wyer, his projected trip to Russia, comment on Calhoun and Gallatin. 1828, land grant of John Forsyth, governor of Georgia. 1830, letters about Francis Asbury Dickins's trip to Nashville, Tenn., as agent of the Treasury Department. (See also Vol. 42 in folder 150 for information on this trip.) S. D. Ingham, letter of introduction to Andrew Jackson. Letters from Mr. and Mrs. Asbury Dickins during this trip to Francis and his younger brother Tom, who accompanied him. Letter, 4 September 1830, referring to Asbury Dickins's brother John, who died and was buried in Knoxville.
Folder 3	1831-1833 1831, family letters written while Francis was on another trip to Cincinnati and Nashville. 1832, letter from Asbury Dickins on points involved in the trial of Thomas F. Hodson, which Francis was attending in Pennsylvania. 1833, William Lyman, Boston, about a claim the government had against the estate of his father and his efforts to get a settlement from his father's administrator. John S. Barbour, business with the Treasury, his candidacy for Congress. Aunt Eloisa, the Baltimore garden show, riding the railroad, family news. Asbury Dickins to his sons in New York. Letters from Thomas Mann Randolph to his daughter Margaret offering social advice and mentioning efforts to find a new home. Letters to Margaret from Frances Brockenbrough, giving social and family news, and describing her garden and a wedding.
Folder 4	1834-1835 1834, statement of the position of the U.S. government on the action of the French Chamber of Deputies in refusing to implement the French treaty with the United States. C. S. McCauley from Norfolk where he was attending a court martial, his desire to command the John Adams, news of Lilia. John C. Hamilton wanting the remaining volumes of American State Papers for his work on papers of Alexander Hamilton and his poor opinion of Jared Sparks. F. R. Hassler from Long Island, his hardships with the Coast Survey. Thomas Aspinwall, his business with the State Department. Family letters.
Folder 5	1836-1837 Continued letters to Margaret from her father and from Frances Brockenbrough. In 1836, Margaret visited General and Mrs. Alexander Hunter in Washington. Randolph wrote to her criticizing Van Buren and she wrote in return of social activities in the capital city. 1836, Francis Asbury Dickins to Lewis Cass, resigning his position in the War Department. Shea Smith, on instructions to U.S. consuls. Silas H. Hill, on Asbury Dickins's wish to be Secretary of the Senate. John Forsyth, requesting Francis to investigate his claim to land from Virginia as heir of a Revolutionary veteran. Bond of Asbury Dickins as Secretary of the Senate.
Folder 6	1838-1839 1838, Hugo Dickins, working for the Coast Survey. Letters between Francis Asbury Dickins and Thomas Mann Randolph about his marriage to Margaret. Letters from Asbury Dickins to Francis while the latter was away from Washington. Letters indicate that Asbury was also away from the capital visiting Hugo while he worked with the Coast Survey, and in New York, and Philadelphia. He wrote of family news, purchasing articles in New York for Francis and Margaret's home. Randolph family letters for 1838 include news of the death of two Randolph children. Thomas Mann Randolph visited Washington and wrote of plans to raise silk at Bellona; also, letter from young Henry Randolph from Mr. Sanders's school at Cartersville. 1839, Draft of advertisement announcing opening of law office Francis Asbury Dickins and his brother James, specializing in government claims. Family letters about the marriage of Margaret Randolph and Francis Asbury Dickins. Letters of Asbury Dickins, probably writing from Baltimore, of family news, business affairs, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company prospects, and projects related to iron manufacture.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.2. 1840-1859.

About 100 items.

Papers of Francis Asbury Dickins and his wife Margaret. During this period, the couple moved to Ossian Hall in Fairfax County, Va., while Francis Asbury maintained a law office in Washington, D.C. Correspondence relates chiefly to family and plantation matters, including news from Randolph relatives. See Series 2 for information about Dicken's legal practice during this period. (See also Volume 34 for letters received by Asbury Dickins and Francis Asbury Dickins, 1818-1842.)

Folder 7	1840-1844 1840, Mrs. Frances Brockenbrough. 6 June, Mrs. Nathaniel (Rebecca Biddle) Chapman, sending John B. Chapman news of George W. Chapman and John Randolph, who were serving with the United States Mediterranean fleet. 22 December, John M. Bass about estate of Felix Grundy. 1841, Mrs. F. Brockenbrough. 2 June, statement of F. B. Drane, Jr., and T. M. Randolph about the value of the Tuckahoe Aqueduct Mills, saw and grist mills, and a site for an iron foundry. Also by J. C. Sinton. 15 October, Randolph, family news and his business affairs, Francis's efforts to help him. 15 October, McCauley, family news. 16 October, Hugo, in New Jersey with the Coast Survey. Letterpress copies of several letters from Francis to Randolph, chiefly on business, very hard to read. 8 August 1842, Aunt E. Wingfield, Norfolk, to Margaret, her hard life as a boarding house keeper, family news. 1842-1844, a number of letter from Randolph on his affairs and his argument over property with his mother and her husband Dr. Brockenbrough, also advice to Francis on farming at Ossian Hall. 2 October 1843, Mrs. A. M. Fitzhugh inviting Margaret to visit and mentioning Mrs. Lee. (This is Mrs. William Henry [A. Maria Goldsborough] Fitzhugh, a childless widow who lived at the Fitzhugh home, Ravensworth, near Ossian Hall and in Alexandria during the winter. Her husband was the uncle of Mrs. Robert E. Lee and Ravensworth passed to one of Mrs. Lee's sons, W. H. F. Lee, after the widow's death. Mrs. Fitzhugh herself seems to have been very close to all the Lees, including Smith Lee and his son Fitzhugh. This is the first of many letter and notes from her.)
Folder 8	1845-1846 More letters between Randolph and Dickins, on Randolph's financial difficulties. 1845. 1 March, Randolph wrote of his hope to inherit money from the estates of John Randolph and St. George Randolph. He also advised Francis on the handling of slaves and agricultural methods. 13 November, J. R. Ingersoll to Asbury Dickins. Augusta, loving letter to Margaret. J. W. French, minister in Washington, to Margaret about her spiritual state. (Francis and Margaret Dickins and their children seem to have lived in Washington during the winter months.)
Folder 9	1847-1850 17 January 1847, Fitzhugh about services at the little Episcopal church at Annandale. Continued letters from Randolph on his affairs. 23 May, James Barron, St. [Ann-], Norfolk County, his farming operations, his claims at Richmond. Louisa Brockenbrough, daughter of Austin and Frances, sends news of her family. 7 October, Mrs. M. A. T. Thompson, family and household affairs in Washington. Letters about the death of Randolph in March 1848, about the settlement of his affairs, and about the purchase of two elderly slaves for $10.00. 4 February 1849, Henry Randolph wrote of his plans to go to California in search of gold, and 26 May his wife Louisa wrote of his trip across the Isthmus of Panama. 9 and 29 August. Margaret to Francis, her sadness following the accidental death of their daughter Mary. October, Willie P. Mangum to Asbury, asking to borrow $50.00. 24 December, J. W. French. 12 October 1849, cousin Emma Randolph, letter of sympathy, also September 1850. Several notes from M. A. T. Thompson (probably Mrs. G. L.), Washington and Meridian Hall, Maryland, family and servants, etc.
Folder 10	1851-1859 1852, Henry P. Randolph, J. W. French, Dr. H. F. Condict, relatives. 1854, H. P. Randolph about the death of John B. Randolph. 1855, a cousin recommends a nursery governess; Smith Thompson, C. J. Ingersoll; J. R. Ingersoll. 1856, Margaret's step-mother Lucy Patterson Randolph; C. J. Ingersoll (several); J. R. Ingersoll; Mrs. M. A. T. Thompson on her new home in Maryland, and her son Dorsey, a student at St. John's College; Ellen Harvie from Richmond. 1875, Mrs. Thompson, C. J. Ingersoll, J. M. Mason, J. R. Ingersoll; commission of Edward A. Dickens (not identified) as captain in Virginia militia; Mrs. Frances Brockenbrough. 12 January 1858, copy, Francis to Albert S. White, the estate of St. George Randolph and the chances of their wives inheriting from it; Mrs. Thompson; Mrs. Brockenbrough. 1859, H. P. Randolph, his broken leg and its treatment, wants information on Kansas, where he may move to practice law; J. M. Mason, Mrs. Thompson; 19 May, H. P. Randolph will be glad to act as Margaret's trustee; 9 June, F. A. Dickins to H. P. Randolph, has received the deed, business matters, marriage of Mrs. Eaton to a 22-year-old Italian dancing master (Mrs. Eaton [Peggy O'Neal] was the mother-in-law of John Brockenbrough Randolph and had custody of his orphaned minor children. The matter of the trusteeship and deed may have related to these children.) Also in 1859, several notes from Smith Thompson, who was unable to pay his debt to F. A. Dickins. 27 August 1859, Margaret [Peggy] O'Neal Timberlake Eaton Buchignani, bitter letter to Margaret Randolph Dickins about the children of John B. Randolph, defending herself and her husband from criticism. Louis E. Harvie, a cousin, two letters in September about the Randolph children and the efforts to remove them from Mrs. Buchignani's care and about the trusteeship of money left to the children by his aunt, probably Mrs. Gabriella Harvie Randolph Brockenbrough, also news of his family. December 1859, C. J. Ingersoll.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.3. 1860-1865.

About 100 items.

Papers documenting the Confederate sympathies of the Dickins family in the Civil War. According to family correspondence, Francis Asbury Dickins was first arrested in 1861, on the day his father, Asbury Dickins, died. He was subsequently imprisoned two more times for his suspected assistance to the Confederacy before moving behind Confederate lines. Letters document Fanny M. Dickins's work with the Confederate Treasury in Richmond, Va., and Columbia, S.C., and the service of Frank in the Confederate Army. Margaret spent the early part of the war at Ossian Hall and wrote her daughters in Richmond about her experience when Union soldiers searched the house and grounds in 1862.

Folder 11	1860-September 1861 Mrs. A. M. Fitzhugh, Alexandria, Lenten services there, the weather, news of Robert E. Lee and his family. 21 March, J. M. Mason. 5 August, Mrs. Thompson, her son Dorsey valedictorian at St. John's, her other sons. S. L. R., probably Mrs. William Beverly (Sarah Lingan) Randolph, thinks if South Carolina will behave the United States will be well-governed. January 1861, Mrs. Fitzhugh deplores the movement for secession. April, a Virginian who was a clerk in the office of the Secretary of the Senate sends his resignation to Asbury Dickins. May, several passes for Francis A. Dickins to enter and leave Washington. 13 June, letter from him to his wife, telling of his imprisonment and asking her to write to General Winfield S. Scott and Albert S. White for him.
Folder 12	October-December 1861 More papers relating to Francis A. Dickins's imprisonment, and his efforts to secure protection for his wife and small children while he was away from home, his efforts to recover some horses taken from his plantation, and to secure passes to go back and forth between his home and his office in Washington. Asbury Dickins died the day Francis was arrested and Francis was paroled in order to attend the funeral. Margaret's brother-in-law, Albert Smith White, Republican senator from Indiana, helped to procure his release. Also, some rather confused and repetitious diary-like notes and reminiscences of this event on loose sheets of paper. In this same folder, there are some undated papers of the Civil War period.
Folder 13	1862 5 February, A. S. White telling Margaret that Francis has again been arrested, he will try to help. Copy of letter from White to General George B. McClellan, with McClellan's reply, 8 February. 16 February, Margaret to her daughters, who were in or near Richmond, about her experiences when United States soldiers searched her house. Continued letters from White about Dickins's situation. 13 March 1862, Louis E. Harvie on letterhead of the President of the Richmond and Danville Railroad telling Francis A. Dickins, Jr., in the Confederate hospital, Belleview, of arrangements to move him to another hospital and eventually to Harvie's home. 21 March, F. A. Dickins's parole. List of prisoners who were in Room 11, Old Capitol Prison, while Dickins was there. Letters pertaining to Dickins's efforts to secure punishment for soldiers who visited his plantation and to recover property taken. 10 August, White saying he cannot prevent spoliation of Dickins's property unless he will take the oath of allegiance. 4 December, notice from C. G. Memminger that Fanny M. Dickins has been employed by the Confederate Treasury Department.
Folder 14	1863-1865 18 March, no year, Mrs. Clara H. Randolph Howard, her experiences in going from Virginia to Maryland, her escape from United States officers, hiding because of a warrant for her arrest, news of Fanny, Harriot, and Frank Dickins in Virginia. 15 June 1863, record of emancipation and permit to remain in Richmond of a slave formerly the property of G. R. de Potestad, cousin of Margaret. Papers dealing with the move of Fanny Dickins to Columbia, S.C., to work with the branch of the Confederate Treasury there. 16 November 1864, General Philip Sheridan to General Jubal A. Early, explaining that he is permitting Misses Riley and Dickins to pass through his lines on the way South with the body of Capt. [Irving] Harvie. 21 and 22 November, note and pass for Fanny from Early, referring to injury of Frank. 29 November, letter asking aid for Fanny in her effort to find her brother and take him with her. 26 December, Mrs. L. V. Robertson, Rock Hill, S.C., wanting information about her brother, whom she thinks Fanny saw while she was within United States lines. Undated, a batch of notes by Mrs. A. M. Fitzhugh to Margaret Randolph Dickins during the war period, and some undated papers written by Francis A. Dickins after he left home, one about his visit to Wilmington and to some of his relatives in North Carolina, stating that the papers give a false picture of the spirit of the southern people, who were still determined to continue the war. March, May 1865, oaths of allegiance and amnesty of F.A. Dickins. 12 April, W. I. [Rain or Rasin-] about the death of Willie Price to W. F. Price, Richmond (these persons not identified).

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.4. 1866-1879.

About 80 items.

Chiefly papers of the children of Francis Asbury Dickins and Margaret Harvie Randolph Dickins. Letters show that Randolph Dickins attended Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. Frank worked with a railroad survey party in western Pennsylvania in 1872. A few letters from Albert White indicate that he worked briefly with his elder brother on the railroad, but by 1879, he was seeking employment in Cincinnati. Letters from Harriot Dickins Wight document her domestic life. Francis Asbury reopened his Washington law office following the Civil War, but few papers document his activites during this period. He died in 1879.

Folder 15

1866-1869

Letter from Mrs. Fitzhugh, from Baltimore, 12 January 1866, news of Mrs. R. E. Lee and her family.

6 March, Mrs. Frances Brockenbrough, news of her family and relatives. Letters relating to efforts to secure an appointment at the Virginia Military Institute as a state cadet for Randolph Dickins, from W. B. Blair. Invitation to wedding of H. Theodore Wight and Harriot Dickins.

1867, Mrs. Fitzhugh, from Alexandria; Betty Brockenbrough about the death of her mother Frances.

12 January, Mrs. M. A. T. Thompson describing the wedding of her son Dorsey to Mary Ligon, daughter of former governor of Maryland, Thomas Watkins Ligon. Reports of Albert W. Dickins at the school of T. C. Miller, Amherst, Va.

8 February 1868, Mrs. Fitzhugh from Alexandria. More letters about efforts to get an appointment as state cadet for Randolph, including one from his state senator, D. French Dulany.

16 June, Francis H. Smith, telling what the school can do to aid Randolph.

17 June W. H. Richardson, 5 July, W. B. Blair, same subject.

11 October, Thomas C. Miller about his school at Amherst (Forest Academy).

23 December, Cousin Lucy Chrisman, from near Harrisonburg, saying she has better servants than ever before, telling of the care of soldiers' graves, and referring to Generals Imboden and Early. Reports of Albert at Miller's school.

9 June 1869, Cousin Ellen S. Harvie Ruffin (Mrs. Frank Gildart Ruffin) from Summer Hill, servant problem, long comment on Fields Cook, Negro leader in Richmond, whom she had known well before the war, her husband attending the test of a reaper. July, Jean C. W. Yeatman, telling of death of Captain Smith Lee, Fitzhugh Lee's coming to Ravensworth to tell Mrs. Fitzhugh of it, her terrible shock, plans for the funeral.

27 July, Gabriella Chapman de Potestad, death of Smith Lee, sorrow for Mrs. Fitzhugh, illness of Harriot Wight's husband, humiliation of being connected with Peggy O'Neal Eaton Buchignani.

3 August, part of a copy of a letter from F. A. Dickins to members of the Reid family in England, relatives of the Arnot family. Emily Chapman about death of Harriot's baby.

Folder 16

1870-1872

Papers dealing with the attendance of the Dickins sons at Consolidated Business College in Washington.

14 August 1870, Emily Chapman, from Georgetown about efforts to get an appointment at Annapolis for Randolph, to raise the money necessary for his uniform, etc. W. W. Glenn saying he will lend part of the money, even though as a southerner he disapproves of Randolph's wish to go to Annapolis. September, Eloise B[aker] thought people of Baltimore more antagonistic to northerners than people from the seceding states, told how people from Baltimore shunned W. T. Sherman at Berkeley Springs. Eloise and Emily sympathized when Randolph failed the exams for Annapolis.

6 October, testimonial for Randolph's work at the business college, by J. Ormand Wilson, Superintendent of Public Schools.

27 November, Emily Chapman said her brother-in-law, Luis de Potestad-Fornari had gone to assist at the wedding of the Spanish minister.

2 June 1871, program of the graduating exercises for Washington Business College, Randolph one of the graduates.

22 June, W. S. Scott, who formerly lived at Ossian, writing from England, wanting information about Ossian.

7 January 1872, Francis A. Dickins, Jr., from western Pennsylvania, where he was to begin work with a railroad survey party, and occasional references to cousin, James Lingan Randolph, who was chief engineer of the B & O Railroad. Letters between Thomas H. Upshur and F. A. Dickins, 1 February, 20 March, 22 February, about an estate for which Abel P. Upshur was executor which had never been settled, Henry A. Wise about it, 16 March (enclosed with letter of 20 March), and Dickins to George P. Scarborough about it, 26 June. Continued letters this year from Frank with the survey party, and a few from Albert, who also worked with the group for a short time. Frank's letters referred to Cousin Sally, who was Mrs. William Beverly (Sarah Lingan) Randolph of Martinsburg, W.Va., mother of James L. Randolph, and strongly unionist in feeling. In June she wrote Frank an indignant letter criticizing Greeley and defending Grant from remarks she had misread into a letter from him. Letters from Frank with the survey party end in December 1872, and there are no more letters from him.

Folder 17

1873-1879

2 February, 1873, Lucy A. Randolph to her step-daughter, Margaret Randolph Dickins, family news. Mrs. H. Brockenbrough Nelson, daughter of the Austin Brockenbroughs, news of her family.

27 June, Emily Chapman, references to her cousin Tom Biddle, to her hopes for Randolph who is at Virginia Military Institute, family news. July, invitation to the graduation ball at V.M.I.

14 July, Emily Chapman, sending money for Randolph.

11 August, Ellen (Mrs. Frank Gildart) Ruffin, telling of arson on their plantation, Summer Hill. Invitation to the wedding of the daughter of W. T. Sherman. Voting records, U.S. Senate, 1874-1875, perhaps related to some claim in which F. A. Dickins was interested.

[20-] January 1875, a cousin of Mrs. Fitzhugh about a relative in a mental institution, W. H. F. (Rooney) Lee's moving to Ravensworth, her memories of him and his wife.

1 February, Mrs. Ruffin, more fires at Summer Hill have forced them to move to Richmond.

2 July, letter from a missionary in Hangchow, China, giving an account of living conditions, food, climate, mail service, a visit to a temple-appears to be a copy made by Fanny Dickins.

25 January 1876, Randolph Dickins applies for a commission in the Marine Corps; copies of recommendations for him by W. Hunter and Montgomery Blair.

30 December 1877, Margaret to Francis, is visiting Harriot.

8 October 1878, Randolph Dickins, to 'Miss Mary' as he is about to sail for China.

11 April 1879, J. W. Stevenson, childhood friend of Margaret, will try to help Albert, who is seeking work in Cincinnati.

19 November, J. B. Kershaw to Fanny, letter of sympathy on death of Francis A. Dickins.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.5. 1880-1934 and Undated.

About 120 items.

Chiefly papers of Margaret Dickins and her daughters. Fanny and her mother lived with relatives in Baltimore until Margaret died in 1891. Letters document the women's financial concerns, family travel abroad, and genealogical interests. A few letters from the Dickins sons indicate that Albert found work with the Yellowstone Division of North Pacific Railroad and bought an interest in a restaurant in Billings, Mont. Randolph Dickins served on the U.S.S. Oregon during the Spanish-American War.

Folder 18	1880-1884 George W. Mayo, husband of Margaret's younger half-sister Louisa, from Richmond about a tombstone; Louisa about her mother, family news, the tombstone. 15 December 1880, and 21 April 1882, M. N. Reid, a cousin in Dunfermline, Scotland. 25 December, Albert Dickins, working with the Yellowstone Division of the Northern Pacific Railroad, has bought an interest in a restaurant in Billings, Mont., comment on Ed Rosser, cousin of General T. L. Rosser, also working on the railroad. Notes of Margaret about her husband's journal, with an account of his dream of an accident, telling how he later suffered a similar accident which resulted in his death. 19 December 1883, recommendations to Woman's Exchange in Washington for Evelina Snyder. 25 February 1884, Mrs. Upton [S. C.] Herbert, news of Fitzhughs and Lees, probably from near Ossian Hall. 27 January, Cousin Jessie Reid from London, the Arnot family. Travel souvenirs from London, Belgium, Alaska, perhaps collected by Lt. Randolph Dickins; also brief notes on travel by an unidentified woman.
Folder 19	1885-1888 8 April 1885, Gabriella Chapman de Potestad-Fornari, thanks for the copy of miniature of her grandmother, family news, sorry Fanny can't get work in Washington, their 'unfortunate' Randolph relatives, probably the grandchildren of Mrs. Eaton. 10 October, M. N. Reid, Dunfermline, Scotland. More souvenirs of Randolph Dickins. 4 July 1886, Fanny tells of a trip to Baltimore by boat, probably from Richmond, describing the boat and the houses she saw on the way down the river and up the Chesapeake. 16 July, Sara Morrill from Paris of her travel in Europe. April-October 1887, extracts or copies of letters from Mrs. Harriot Dickins Wight, who was visiting England with her daughter Theodora, to Fanny who was ill at Church Home in Baltimore. 1 August 1888, 'M' from London, sightseeing. 8 August, letter of John M. Wilson asks Randolph to assist with seating of assemblage at funeral of General Sheridan. 27 October, another travel account, Bessie Graeff.
Folder 20	1889-1890 John W. Burke to Fanny at Church Home, business, family news, and letter by her from there. In 1890, several brief business letters to her in Richmond. Samuel Wallis, Pohick Church Rectory, his marriage, the church, Mrs. Upton Herbert, death of Fanny's brother Frank.
Folder 21	1891-1893 Letters of sympathy for death of Margaret Randolph Dickins in early 1891. More on Fanny's finances. Letters and papers about repair of the cemetery at Tuckahoe. Mrs. Herbert about Pohick Church, and 17 February 1892, about memorial windows in it for Fanny's parents, neighborhood news. Several letters from Miss Mary W. Pulliam in Asheville on her descent from the Wilsons of Virginia, who were among Fanny's ancestors, refers to visiting Miss Emily Lee in the hospital. 5 January 1893, William Page Dabney, history of Randolph family and connections. 27 February, Randolph Harrison, can't send information on Nicholas Davies. 24 April, Martha Jefferson Trist Burke, her husband's illness, the repairs to the cemetery. 31 December, Moncure D. Conway, in England lecturing, still has the papers he borrowed and still plans to write an article on the Randolph family. Mary Pulliam from Asheville. Mrs. Peter (S. C.) Minor, account of wedding of her niece Mary Peyton and William C. Chamberlain.
Folder 22	1894-1898 Correspondence about the Page tombs at Rosewell and the Randolph ones at Turkey Island. 11 February 1897, Grant Green sending the miniature of Gabriella Harvie Randolph Brockenbrough. 28 July 1897, Wilson Miles Cary saying the wife of Thomas Randolph of Tuckahoe was Judith Fleming and not Judith Churchill. May-August 1898, series of letters written by Randolph Dickins, Marine officer on the U.S.S. Oregon, first at Brazil, then off Cuba, about naval action in the Spanish-American War, to members of his family whom he called by nicknames hard to identify. These are probably copies made by Fanny Dickins.
Folder 23	1899-1934 Chiefly scattered letter about Randolph and related families. Letter to Mrs. Harriot W. Wight about a legacy to her from Miss Eloise Baker. 1901, two more letters from Miss Pulliam in Asheville, referring to Alexander Webb, to summer boarders. June, Jessie Reid, London, on Arnot family. 1902, R. H. Battle saying the statute of limitations would bar any old claims the Dickins family might have to land in North Carolina. Only a few scattered trivial items after this. During these years Fanny Dickins and Mrs. Wight were living in Washington. The last letter is to Theodora Wight (Mrs. John) Keim, about the wives of Thomas Randolph (Churchill or Fleming).
Folder 24	Undated letters arranged alphabetically by writer. Chiefly to Margaret Dickins about women's affairs and other matters, such as family and social communications.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. Other Family Papers.

About 150 items.

Genealogical materials compiled by Margaret Dickins and her daughter Fanny. Besides family history materials, there are menus, calling cards, souvenirs, remedies, newspaper clippings, bills, receipts, and miscellaneous items collected by various Dickins family members.

Folder 25-27

Folder 25

Folder 26

Folder 27

Genealogical material, notes, copies of records, and anecdotes

These are overlapping, disorganized, and very confusing for others to use. Folder 25 contains two notebooks compiled by Margaret Randolph Dickins and Fanny Dickins, with notes on Randolph, Page, Jones, Harvie, Wilson, Wormley, and Churchill families. folder 25 contains loose papers with notes on Randolph, Harvie, Jones, Fleming, and Churchill families. folder 27 contains more loose pages of notes on Randolph, Harvie, and Jones families, and also notes on Francis Asbury Dickins's ancestry-Yancey, Kimbrough, Dickins, Arnot families. Also a sketch of Francis A. Dickins, Jr. (brief one-page item).

Folder 28

Menus, calling cards, invitations, and souvenirs

Folder 29

Survey sheet, for a lesson in surveying

probably for an area of the Potomac River near Alexandria.

Folder 30-32

Folder 30

Folder 31

Folder 32

Miscellaneous materials

Includes remedies, literary excerpts, and writings.

Folder 33

Bills and receipts

Folder 34-35

Folder 34

Folder 35

Clippings

Concerning relatives and friends, chiefly from Virginia.

Folder 36

Newspapers

Includes an issue of the North China Daily News (Shanghai) in 1879; an issue of the Dunfermline (Scotland) Journal, 1874; The Free Press (Burlington, Vt.), 10 April 1857, containing an advertisement related to the estate of C. P. Van Ness; The Richmond Enquirer, 8 May 1857 and the Weekly American Organ (Washington), 14 May 1857, birth containing articles on Virginia bounty land claims.

Folder 37-38

Folder 37

Folder 38

Clippings

related to Randolph Dickins's service in the Marines, to naval activities, to the Spanish-American War, the U.S.S. Oregon, etc.

Folder 39

Claim of Asbury Dickins

Material pertaining to a claim of Asbury Dickins against the United States for additional, higher compensation during the periods when he served as acting Secretary of the Treasury and acting Secretary of State. See also Volume 46.

Folder 40

Miscellaneous charts and diagrams

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3. Volumes, 1804-1903 and undated.

44 items.

Arrangement: by type.

Diaries, account books, commonplace books, scrapbooks, school notebooks, and other collected materials, such as genealogical information, cures, and songs.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3.1. Diaries, 1826-1896.

9 items.

Folder 41	Volume 1, 1826 Travel diary. Author unidentified. Record of trip by horseback from Washington through Virginia and Tennessee to Alabama, visiting Choctaw and Chickasaw territory. Chiefly lists places stopped and number of miles covered. (formerly volume 40)
Folder 42	Volume 2, 1831 Very brief diary kept by Francis Asbury Dickins during trip from Washington with his mother, his sisters Lilia and Maria, and his brother James to Leesburg, Va., and a place near Harper's Ferry. (formerly volume 47)
Folder 43	Volume 3, 1833 Brief travel diary kept by Francis Asbury Dickins documenting a family trip to Baltimore (where they witnessed a balloon ascension), Philadelphia, and New York (where they attended the theater and saw Mr. Kemble perform; Henry Clay also attended and was cheered by the audience). (formerly volume 48)
Folder 44	Volume 4, 1861-1864 Notes and diary of Francis Asbury and Margaret Randolph Dickins about his imprisonment in Washington and events following their retreat to Richmond and North Carolina. (formerly volume 29)
Folder 45	Volume 5, 1871-1875 Short entries made by Margaret Randolph Dickins about family events. (formerly volume 31)
Folder 46	Volume 6, 1879 Travel diary kept by Randolph Dickins on voyage to Europe, India, and China; copied by Fanny M. Dickins. (formerly volume 34)
Folder 47	Volume 7, 1888 Diary kept by Margaret Randolph Dickins while in Washington with her son Randolph, a U.S. Marine officer. During this year, he was ill in the Naval Hospital. (formerly volume 37)
Folder 48	Volume 8, 1886-1890 Kept by Fanny M. Dickins during a period when she was living mostly in Richmond with her mother and sister. She also recorded periodic visits to Baltimore, England, and Florida. (formerly volume 39)
Folder 49	Volume 9, 1895-1896 Apparently kept by Fanny M. Dickins while living with Randolph Dickins at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (formerly volume 35)

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3.2. Account Books, 1763-1891.

10 items.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3.3. Commonplace Books, 1835-1878 and undated.

4 items.

Folder 58	Volume 18, 1835-1867 Commonplace book of Margaret Randolph Dickins. (formerly volume 12)
Folder 59	Volume 19, circa 1858 Commonplace book of Margaret Randolph Dickins, including genealogies of the Strother, Harvie, and Jones families. (formerly volume 17)
Folder 60	Volume 20, 1866-1878 Commonplace book of Harriot W. Dickins. (formerly volume 30)
Folder 61	Volume 21, undated Collector unidentified; also contains math notes entitled "Luis de Potestad, Jr.--Lawrence Scientific School--Notes and Problems," and a few recipes. (formerly volume 38)

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3.4. Scrapbooks, 1819-1903 and undated.

7 items.

Folder 62	Volume 22, circa 1819 Clippings from newpapers, chiefly poetry, pasted in Merchants and Travellers Companion, published in 1819. (formerly volume 19)
Oversize Volume SV-218/23	Volume 23, 1849-1874 Newspaper clippings pasted over pages of a book originally used for official records by a purser in the U.S. Navy. (formerly volume S-22)
Folder 64	Volume 24, 1875-1883 Scrapbook of Margaret Randolph Dickins containing newspaper clippings, chiefly poetry and writings, but also a few obituaries of friends. (formerly volume 32)
Folder 65	Volume 25, 1861-1865 Collection of Civil War passes issued to members of the Dickins family. (formerly volume 28)
Folder 66	Volume 26, 1853-1903 Newspaper clippings pasted over pages of a book that originally contained a list of letters received by Francis Asbury Dickins relating to legal claims he was handling. (formerly volume 33)
Folder 67	Volume 27, undated Miscellaneous material including drawings, photographs, and genealogical information about the Arnot family of Scotland. (formerly volume 36)

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3.5. School Notebooks, 1827 and undated.

5 items.

Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3.6. Other Volumes, 1818-1864 and undated.

9 items.

Folder 72	Volume 34, 1818-1842 Letters received by Asbury Dickins and Francis Asbury Dickins, pasted into a book about cavalry equipment. (formerly volume 5)
Oversize Volume Volume SV-218/35	Volume 35, 1804-1851 Deeds, plats, and survey notes relating to Ossian Hall, Fairfax County, Va., owned by Fitzhughs and Stuarts before its acquisition by Francis Asbury Dickins. Also contained in this volume are U.S. Navy quartermaster's accounts, probably kept by John L. Jones, purser on U.S.S. Savannah and U.S.S. Decatur. Deeds and plats are pasted over some of the pages containing these accounts. (formerly volume S-3)
Folder 74	Volume 36, 1840-1864 Genealogical information compiled by Fanny M. Dickins. See also volumes 21 and 30. (formerly volume 24)
Folder 75	Volume 37, 1845-1873 Chiefly recipes, also contains diary-like entries, household accounts and inventories for Ossian Hall. (formerly volume 21)
Folder 76	Volume 38, undated Cures and prescriptions, collector unknown. (formerly volume 44)
	Volume 39, undated Cures and prescriptions collected by Fanny M. Dickins. (formerly volume 45)
Folder 77	Volume 40, undated Songs and poems of the Confederacy, words only, collector unknown. (formerly volume 46)
Folder 78	Volume 41, undated Small handmade booklet containing lists of the officers of a few Civil War military units, author unknown. (formerly volume 42)

Expand/collapse Series 2. Law Office Papers, 1820s-1870s.

About 1300 items.

Financial and legal papers, scattered correspondence, volumes, and other items related to the legal office Francis Asbury Dickins opened in Washington at the end of the 1830s and reopened after the Civil War. There are also materials relating to Dickins's practice of law, however, that predate the actual opening of the office. Dickins specialized in government claims of various kinds.

Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Mexican Claims, 1830s-1850s.

About 600 items.

These folders contain items relating to Dickins's activities as an agent for claims against the Mexican government. In 1839, the United States and Mexico signed a convention to settle claims of citizens of the United States against Mexico. This convention established a joint commission composed of two representatives from the United States and two representatives for Mexico. Baron Roenne was appointed by the King of Prussia to be umpire. The commission met from August 1840 until February 1842 and awarded some $2,000,000 in Mexican indemnity certificates. The certificates were to be paid by Mexico in twenty installments, but Mexico defaulted after the first three installments. The fourth and fifth installments were paid by the United States after the start of the war between Mexico and the United States. Under Article XIV of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo the United States assumed obligation for the remaining installments. The 1848 treaty also placed upon the United States the responsibility of paying additional claims of her citizens against Mexico, up to the sum of $3,250,000. To fulfill the terms of the treaty the United States established a commission in 1849 to handle these claims. Dickins presented claims to both the 1840-1842 and the 1849 commissions.

The papers pertaining to each Mexican claim are filed together, alphabetically by the case name, which is usually the name of a ship. folders 103-107 contain miscellaneous unrelated items pertaining to Dickins's interest in Mexican claims.

Folder 79

Ada Eliza, 1850-1857

A brig owned by Andrew Tenton was seized by Mexican officials and a claim was presented by Dickins in 1850. 8 items.

AE, 1839-1949

A brig owned by Cornelius F. Driscoll of Baltimore was seized in Matamores in May 1839 and Driscoll was fined for violation of port duties. Correspondent for Driscoll was John H. Tucker. 17 items.

Folder 80

Alford, George G., 1849-1857

George Alford was seized off the coast of Texas in 1839. Dickins handled the claim of Alford's estate, intrusted to H. D. and William Moseley. 19 items.

Folder 81

Alford, Johnson H., 1840-1851

Johnson Alford, brother of George Alford, was also seized in 1839. At the time of seizure, Alford was going to Mexico to buy land and claimed the value of the land. 26 items.

Folder 82

Andrews, John, 1830-1842

John Andrews, carrying a cargo of Russian wax to Vera Cruz, was seized in 1827. His daughter Nancy, after corresponding with Senator Nathaniel Silsbee of Massachusetts, appointed Dickins to handle the claim. 19 items.

Folder 83

Augustus, 1834-1849 and Bleden, John, 1841-1843

A schooner owned by Robert Perry and chartered by Sidney Hurlbut was seized at Brozo de Santiago in June 1833. Both men claimed damages from Mexico, Hurlbut choosing to argue his case in the Mexican courts. He won his case but received no damages and assigned his claim to Charles Stillman of Matamores. Stillman and Perry appointed Dickins to handle their claims. 20 items.

Bleden had a claim of $16,815.29 against Mexico which was handled by Dickins. 9 items.

Folder 84-85

Folder 84

Folder 85

Delight, 1826-1848

A ship owned by John Ohl, Stephen Russell, ans Pelvy Hall was seized in Sisal and it's cargo and fittings were sold by the customs officials of that port. The claims were pressed by Charles Russell, later to be U.S. consul at Laguna, for Stephen Russell, Elizabeth Hall for her father Captain Hall, and John Ohl for himself. A portion of the amount claimed by Russell was also claimed and awarded to John Cadwalader. 66 items.

Folder 86

General Morelos, 1838-1848

A brig owned by John Grouley and Company, was seized and Grouley was imprisoned. After his imprisonment, Grouley went to Texas. In 1844 he appointed Dickins to handle his claim, not knowing that a Mr. Breedlove had already successfully presented it. 8 items.

Folder 87

Hammond, Eli E. and Javis J., 1828-1850

The Hammonds were involved in overland trade to Mexico when in 1830 they were forced to leave a large number of their unsold trade goods in Bapispe, Mexico. Later Eli E. Hammond had several mules taken from him while in Mexico. 22 items.

Folder 88

Henry Thompson, 1834-1851

The ship sailed from Spain to Mexico and then to New Orleans. It had the portion of its cargo destined for New Orleans seized in Mexico. Master of the Henry Thompson, Bradford B. Williams, and part owner of the cargo, John Hartshorn, wrote to Senator Rufus Choate to get claims presented. Richard Harding, Hartshorn's father-in-law, appointed Dickins to handle the claim. Corcoran was handling the claim when the award was made and Dickins sued Williams for ten per cent of the award. 38 items.

Folder 89

Jane, 1834-1851

She was a brig seized in Matamores in April 1836, captained by Henry Williams who was imprisoned. The claim was presented by Dickins for William Williams, brother of Henry Williams, and Charles and George Bleden and Francis West, heirs of Henry Bleden, part owner of the vessel. 38 items.

Folder 90-91

Folder 90

Folder 91

Julius Caesar, 1839-1851

A brig was seized off the Sabine River in April 1839. The passengers aboard the vessel were imprisoned. Among them were Silas Knight, Francis Webster, and representatives of the company of Howard and Osgood, and Dickins handled all of their claims. The claim of Knight was hampered by J. H. Causten, who claimed to be his representative. Webster's claim was rejected in 1842, but he nevertheless assigned his claim to William A. Gilbreath. 51 items.

Folder 92

Levi Jones, 1839-1841

A schooner chartered by Abijah Fiske of New Orleans made a voyage to Tampico and Sisal and was forced to pay duties at both ports, with Tampico then in a revolt against the government.

Folder 93

Louisa, 1821-1842

A ship owned by Francis R. Arnold, Samuel Nitengale, and William Greene was seized in Acapulco in February 1822. The cargo of muskets and cordage owned by Radclif Hicks, Horatio Rodgers, and Abraham Miller was also seized. All individuals involved presented a claim against Mexico. 26 items.

Folder 94

Mary, 1839-1841

A brig owned by William Richardson and captained by Edward Beach was seized in Tampico in April 1837. The claim was presented and disallowed by both the 1839 and the 1848 commissions. Protest was filed with Secretary of State Daniel Webster and later Senator Richard Brodhead of Pennsylvania had the claim included in the congressional appropriations for the claims commission. 38 items.

Folder 95

Mary, 1840-1844 and McMaster, Robert and Joseph Payne, 1846-1847

Schooner, not the ship mentioned above, was captained by Charles Turner, who salvaged a ship off the coast of Mexico and paid duties on its cargo on entering Sisal. An Englishman, Sir Julian Quiterez, claimed the cargo and was awarded it by the Mexican courts. 18 items.

Robert McMaster and Joseph Payne were engaged in the overland cloth trade with Mexico when a member of the 'federal party' overtook them in Matamores and seized their trade goods. On the recommendation of F. Strother, United States consul at Laguna, Dickins was given the case. 5 items.

Folder 96

Nelson, 1834-1851

A schooner owned and captained by Augustus Rodgers was seized at Laguna and Rodgers was imprisoned for three years. The claim was presented by Dickins in 1842 and by A. W. Rose, acting for Jonah Rodgers, son of Augustus Rodgers in 1848. 26 items.

Folder 97

Parker, John A. and R. M. Forbes, 1828-1850

They owned a warehouse in Columbia, Tex., which was destroyed by Mexican troops during the Texas War for Independence. This was an addition to an earlier claim of Parker's for a load of Russian wax which had been seized in Alvana in 1826. 11 items.

Folder 98-99

Folder 98

Folder 99

Rebecca Eliza, 1829-1849

A schooner owned and mastered by Manuel de Cala, a United States citizen, was seized in Tampico in September 1829. The ship was taking supplies to Spanish ships then in Mexico and was subject for seizure. Cala and the Mississippi Marine and Fire Insurance Company claimed the loss. The claim was later transferred to Cornelius Paulding. 44 items.

Folder 100

St. Croix, 1834-1851 and Superior, 1849

St. Croix, schooner owned by John Woolsey and captained by a Mr. Ward, was seized while bringing settlers to Texas in 1834. The claim of Woolsey was disallowed in 1841, but he transferred his claim to W. D. McCarty, who appointed Dickins agent for the claim. 20 items.

Superior, a brig owned by Lenvant Treadwell, was robbed and burned in Vera Cruz in 1831. Treadwell appointed Dickins to handle the case. 3 items.

Folder 101

Transit, 1840-1851

A ship owned by P. C. Green and mastered by Michael W. Reid was seized in Sisal in November 1828. Mrs. Hetty Greene, the owner's wife, acting through her attorney Crawford Thompson, appointed Dickins to present the claim for the loss of the ship to the 1841-1842 commission. H. Bunham of Havana, Cuba, representing Hariatague, Knight, and Company, was a major correspondent in the case. 21 items.

Folder 102

William, 1840-1849

A brig owned by Robinson Potter and mastered by John Hughes was commandeered in Vera Cruz in 1829 to carry Mexican troops to Tecolula. Upon returning to Vera Cruz the William had lost her cargo and passengers. Both Potter and Hughes presented claims through Dickins, with Levi H. Yale, Potter's partner, sharing in the claim. 29 items.

Folder 103-106

Folder 103

Folder 104

Folder 105

Folder 106

Miscellaneous items relating to Mexican claims

Papers pertain to matters not covered in the individual cases. Included are Dickins's complaints to Daniel Webster about the actions of Baron Roenne of Prussia as Umpire of the 1841-1842 commission and a letter, October 1842, to General Waddy Thompson, United States minister to Mexico, about Mexican claims in general. Several items concern Mexican indemnity certificates and interest.

Folder 107

Undated miscellaneous items concerning Mexican claims

Chiefly printed items.

Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Miscellaneous Government Claims, 1830s-1860s.

About 650 items.

These folders include papers relating to Dickins's business activities as a lawyer, insurance agent, and claims agent, especially for veterans' pensions. The papers pertaining to each claim have been grouped together and given a case name. For example, papers pertaining to pension claims are under the name of the veteran. The papers are filed alphabetically by the name of the case. folders 144-146 in Subseries 2.3. contain miscellaneous items pertaining to Dickins's business activities, arranged chronologically. folders 147-149 contain Dickins's business receipts and undated miscellaneous items.

Folder 108

Alexander, Joseph

Served in the War of 1812. His widow, Isabella Hochsed Alexander, remarried David Heath and appointed L. S. Gash to claim land warrants due Alexander. Gash chose Dickins to handle the claim in Washington. Dates of correspondence 1839-1860. 24 items.

Folder 109

Arfwedson and American Life Insurance and Trust Company

Arfwedson, Charles D.: Charge d'affaires in Sweden while he was serving as United States consul at Stockholm.

American Life Insurance and Trust Company: During 1841 Dickins served as agent for this company and the items include policy premiums and payments. Dates of correspondence 1841. 9 items.

Folder 110-112

Folder 110

Folder 111

Folder 112

Army miscellaneous claims

These folders include varied papers relating to army claims, mainly claims from the Revolutionary War.

Folder 113

Buchan, George

Buchan along with General Hernandez, had a claim against the United States for property that was destroyed during the Seminole Wars in Florida. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 17 items.

Folder 114

Calvert, John

He served in the Revolution and Indian Wars. His daughter and his grandson, John Calvert Clarke, appointed Dickins to handle the claim for half pay pension and land warrants due Calvert's estate. Dates of correspondence, 1844-1854. 16 items.

Folder 115

Cameron, Smith

He gave Dickins a note for $1200 with two lots in Baltimore as collateral. Cameron and his partner, General S. C. Seakin, never paid Dickins although offering many excuses and land schemes. Dates of correspondence 1840-1857. 41 items.

Folder 116

Congressional bills on soldiers' claims

This folder includes printed private bills for claims handled by Dickins, unrelated to other papers in the group.

Folder 117

Daziel, Archibald

He received a land grant in West Florida from Governor Chester in 1778. His grandson, Dr. Edward Daziel, a resident of Tripoli, sought Dickins' assistance in claiming the land. Seth Hunt and Thomas Newman are among the correspondents. Dates of correspondence, 1844-1848. 10 items.

Folder 118

DeKlauman, Charles

He was a captian in the Virginia militia during the Revolution and his heir, Richard Randolph of Virginia, sought a half-pay pension due the estate. Dates of correspondence 1783-1854. 14 items.

Folder 119

DeLusser, Louis

He settled along the Mobile River in 1756. His heirs Jules and Constance David, William and Albin Mitchell, Vicorre Roman, Estelle Gaillard, and Edward Robin DeLongy appointed Dickins as agent to gain remuneration from the United States, which has seized the land. Items included are the original grant and bill of sale, and other legal papers. Dates of correspondence, 1763-1846. 27 items.

Folder 120

Dunlop and Ewell

Dunlop, William: He attempted to obtain a release from a deed of trust given to Dickins by James Fleet in 1843. Dates of correspondence 1869. 7 items.

Ewell, Thomas: He served in the First Virginia Line and his heirs attempted to get a half pay pension for the estate. Papers include information on the First Virginia Line. Dates of correspondence 1796-1849. 7 items.

Folder 121

Fiske, Jonas

He died in the sinking of a gunboat in 1812. His remarried widow, Mrs. Poole, with the assistance of her attorney, Alexander Yearly, appointed Dickins agent for a Navy pension for her. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 11 items.

Folder 122

Harrison, Lt. H. N.

He gave a note to James F. S. Heald but sailed on the Princeton without paying, and Dickins was employed to collect. Dates of correspondence 1850-1854. 14 items.

Folder 123

Hay, Joseph

He was a surgeon in the Virginia State Line and died intestate. Dickins became administrator of the estate and presented a claim for a half-pay pension due the estate. Heirs of Joseph Hay included his brother, George Hay, and his sisters, Sarah Nicholson and Margaret Payne. Dates of correspondence 1841-1850. 25 items.

Folder 124

Helms and Helphenston

Helms, William: He sought a claim due his father during the Revolution. Dickins was appointed to present the claim. Dates of correspondence 1841. 11 items.

Helphenston, Peter: He was a major in the 8th Virginia Regiment during the Revolution. His widow and heirs claimed a half-pay pension for his estate. Dates of correspondence 1784-1861. 5 items.

Folder 125

Hooper, John

Hooper of New Jersey, had his house destroyed during the Revolution while aiding the Continental forces. His descendant, Charity Voorhees, sought compensation from the United States government. Dates of correspondence 1854-1860. 27 items.

Folder 126

Jackson and Jones

Jackson, William: He served in the Revolution along with John Dudley. William H. A. Southall aided the heirs of the two men in appointing Dickins to handle a claim for bounty land script. Dates of correspondence 1843-1859. 16 items.

Jones, Benjamin: He was a United States soldier during the Civil War and claimed a pension, with Dickins handling his case. Dates of correspondence 1869-1870.

Folder 127-129

Folder 127

Folder 128

Folder 129

Jones, John L.

He was a purser aboard the U.S.S. Savannah and the U.S.S. Decatur. The United States auditor's office filed suit against Jones when his accounts were short and Dickins handled the case in Washington. Papers include lists of officers and provisions, pay rolls, and purchase of a ship. See also Volume S-3. Dates of correspondence, 1837-1860. 40 letters and numerous other items. See also Volume S-23.

Folder 130

Johnson and Joiner

Johnson, Granville: He served as a United States soldier during the Civil War and appointed Dickins to be his agent in claiming a pension. Dates of correspondence 1869-1870. 9 items.

Joiner, Andrew: He was a seaman aboard the U.S.S. Richmond during the Civil War and made a claim for prize money through Dickins. Dates of correspondence 1863-1883. 6 items.

Folder 131

Lawrence through Marshall

Lawrence, John: He served as a Union cavalry officer during the Civil War and his widow appointed Dickins to handle a claim for a pension owed to Lawrence's estate. Date of correspondence 1873. 3 items.

Leavery, William: He had his livestock taken by the United States commissary during the Civil War and appointed Dickins to collect compensation. Later he turned the matter over to the firm of Chapman, Homer and Company to try to get Congressional action. Dates of correspondence 1866-1870. 6 items.

Marshall, John: He served in the Virginia line during the Revolution and Col. Henry Northrop appointed Dickins to claim a half-pay pension due the estate. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 3 items.

Folder 132

Minor, Thomas

He served in the Revolution with the Virginia State Line and his son sought a pension for the estate. Dates of correspondence 1836-1842. 12 items.

Folder 133

National Life Insurance Company of America

Company of Jay Cooke for which Francis A. Dickins served as agent for six years. Papers deal with policies and premiums. Dates of correspondence 1868-1874. 14 items.

Folder 134

Petrie through Pierce

Petrie, William: He was an Englishman who sought a United States patent for an electrical motor. Thomas Aspinwall, U.S. consul in London, handled Petrie's affairs. Includes diagrams. Dates of correspondence, 1841-1843. 4 items.

Peyton: This case concerns a land dispute with the United States solicitor general's office. Henry Wise directed the case to Dickins. Date of correspondence 1841. 2 items.

Pialt, Daniel: He was an officer in the New Jersey line during the Revolution and his heir Dr. [L. T.-] Conby of Crawfordsville, Iowa, employed Dickins to try to get a private bill for a pension through Congress. Correspondents include Senator S. S. Phelps of Vermont and Charles McChesney, secretary of state of New Jersey. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 5 items.

Pierce, Isaac: He served aboard the U.S.S. Whitehead during the Civil War and appointed Dickins as agent to collect prize money. Dates of correspondence 1869. 7 items.

Folder 135

Pope, Matthew

He was a surgeon in the Virginia State Line during the Revolution and Dickins as administrator of Pope's estate sought a pension for Pope's service. Dates of correspondence 1836-1850. 16 items.

Folder 136

Powell through Rodgers, John (Army)

Powell, M.: He had a land claim for Virginia bounty lands and appointed Dickins agent. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 3 items.

Powell, Thomas.: He was a surgeon in the Virginia State Line during the Revolution and his grandson, William Cole Powell, appointed Col. Thomas Armistead and Dickins to obtain bounty land script. Dates of correspondence 1833-1857. 9 items.

Rodgers, John (Army). He served in the Illinois regiment of the Virginia State Line during the Revolution and his nephew, Senator Joseph R. Underwood of Kentucky, sought an additional pension for the estate. Dates of correspondence 1790-1852 14 items.

Folder 137

Rodgers, John (Navy) through Sibbald

Rodgers, John (Navy): He served in the Virginia State Navy during the Revolution and his heirs sought a pension for the estate. Date of correspondence 1857.

Russel, Charles.: He served as a paymaster in the Virginia State Line during the Revolution and his heir Elgin Russel sought a half-pay pension for the estate. Dates of correspondence 1782-1850. 10 items.

Shears, Frank and James: They were United States soldiers who appointed Dickins to obtain pension for their services in the Civil War. Date of correspondence 1869. 4 items.

Sibbald, Charles: He appointed Dickins to press a private claim against the government of the United States. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 7 items.

Folder 138

Skinner through Smith

Skinner, Jonathan: He allowed his home to be used as a base for the Continental forces during the Revolution and it was destroyed by the British. His main heir, Serepta Cleveland, sought compensation through Dickins from the United States government. Dates of correspondence 1852-1860. 5 items.

Slaughter, James: He sought a half-pay pension from the United States government and appointed Col. Henry Northrop and Dickins to handle his claim. Dates of correspondence 1841-1842. 4 items.

Smith, Granville: He was an officer in the Virginia State Line during the Revolution and his son, Tarleton P. Smith, sought a half-pay pension for his father's estate. Dates of correspondence 1849-1850. 10 items.

Folder 139

Swift, Charles Brigham

Swift with his partner, A. Frinage, sought to get title to land in Marengo and Greene Counties in Alabama as part of the Tombigbee Acquisition. They had purchased the land from Thomas Newman who had also sold the land to a Mr. Stevenson. The case was turned over to Francis A. Dickins's brother James. Dates of correspondence 1868-1869. 8 items.

Folder 140

Taylor and Thompson, M.

Taylor, James H.: He was a seaman aboard the U.S.S. Commodore Perry during the Civil War and sought prize money after the war. J. B. Upshur was the correspondent for Taylor. Dates of correspondence, 1868-1869. 8 items.

Thompson, M.: He was attorney for Mary Webb in a case involving land script stolen from the mails. Dates of correspondence, 1857-1860. 8 items.

Folder 141

Thompson, S. through Trottman

Thompson, Smith: He presented a note which Dickins countersigned and for which Dickins was later sued. Dates of correspondence 1856-1860. 8 items.

Turnbull, Stephen: He was a supernumerary during the Revolution but his heirs through Joseph Segan appointed Dickins agent for a claim for a pension for the estate. Dates of correspondence 1849-1851. 14 items.

Trottman, Fred: He served in the United States cavalry during the Civil War and his heir, Mary Trottman, sought a pension for the estate. Dates of correspondence 1849-1851. 14 items.

Folder 142

Van Ness and Valls

Van Ness, Cornelius P.: He was the partner of F. A. Dickins from 1841 until his death in 1854. The majority of the papers deal with the settlement of the Van Ness estate in Vermont, where he once served as governor. Lyman Cummings handled the lengthy affair for Dickins. Also included in the papers are earlier notes between Dickins and Van Ness concerning various matters which they were handling. Dates of correspondence 1841-1859. 51 items.

Valls, Bartholomew and Matthew: They had an undetermined claim against the United States government handled by Dickins. Date of correspondence 1841. 3 items.Vallavry, Isaac. He served in the North Carolina Volunteers of the United States Army during the Civil War. J. B. Upshur was the major correspondent in Vallavry's attempts to obtain a pension with the aid of Dickins. Dates of correspondence 1868-1870. 8 items.

Folder 143

Vallavry through Young

Vallavry, Isaac: He served in the North Carolina Volunteers of the United States Army during the Civil War. J. B. Upshur was the major correspondent in Vallavry's attempts to obtain a pension with the aid of Dickins. Dates of correspondence 1868-1870. 8 items.

Wharton, Ebenezer: He served aboard the U.S.S. Richmond during the Civil War and sought prize money for vessels captured around New Orleans. Dates of correspondence 1868-1870. 4 items.

Walke, Edward. He was a seaman aboard the U.S.S. Rhode Island during the Civil War and sought separation pay. Dates of correspondence 1869-1870. 5 items.

Wood, William: He sold on a promissory note some corn to the Quartermaster General's office during the Civil War. After the war he appointed Dickins to collect the note. Dates of correspondence 1863-1867.

Young, John: He appointed Dickins to obtain an increase in his pension. Dates of correspondence 1841. 3 items.

Expand/collapse Subseries 2.3. Other Financial and Legal Papers, 1819-1857.

About 60 items.

Folder 144-146

Folder 144

Folder 145

Folder 146

Business papers, 1819-1857

Included are a report by Asbury Dickins on the Treasury Department correspondence with the Bank of Edwardville, Va., 1829. F. A. Dickins made several notes on the instructions of the Virginia House of Delegates to George Rogers Clark. L. L. Bouligny asked F. A. Dickins to handle a land claim for the Dauterine family for land on the Mississippi below Baton Rouge, 1838. Dickins handled a land sale for Missouri land, 1841, and wrote of specie problems, 1842. Thomas Aspinwall inquired in 1845 about the value of land in Georgia bought from John Forsyth (perhaps that for which there is a land grant in the dated series of papers, Dickins Section, for Forsyth in 1828). The majority of the dated miscellaneous items are from 1840 to 1841 and include items relating to claims and finances in which F. A. Dickins was involved. folders 106-108.

Folder 147

Expand/collapse Subseries 2.4. Legal Volumes, 1828-1876.